Stumbling
Never too young to play Stumbling Blocks
We at the Family Entertainment Research Institute were shocked to discover the wildly popular church game: Stumbling Blocks.
The premise is simple: you ante up with your soul in the collective pot and play the other players like board game pieces to cause them to stumble. You may employ any of the following methods to compete:
Have a perky body? Flaunt it to men, ideally married, to get them to lust after you. Getting them fired or successfully suing for sexual harassment is worth bonus points. Hard bodied men can also play this game with lonely, struggling women. For the rest of us, there is always the power of money or plain ole seductive charm and flattery.
If sex isn’t your weakness, try sins of the tongue. See who you can destroy with your mouth. Extra points for destroying a ministry with unfounded gossip. Driving someone to suicide gets a Devil’s Wild card and is worth triple points.
Selfish Ambition is always encouraged especially in ministry. If you can build a personal kingdom with Jesus’ blood, you get the Golden Judas Award for expertise in treachery in knowing how to play the Kiss card.
Fuddle and be fuddled by fellow players till no one knows who the real enemy is.
Strangely, biblically illiterate 21st century Christians are stumbling over themselves to participate as contestants. The Creator of the game Stumbling Blocks likes to argue that the concept of the game is taught in the Bible. As always, he is only telling part of the story.
The premise for this game is found in Galatians 5: 19-21. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.
Written in micro print the last line of this verse, almost imperceptibly is this dire disclaimer: I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But hey, who has time for micro print mumbo-jumbo when there are souls to stumble?
So, how do you win playing Stumbling Blocks? That’s the bizarre part. You don’t. The only way to win is not to play.
Proverbs 4: 18-19, The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.
The Creator of this game advertises that you play Stumbling Blocks, “for the Hell of it.” OK, so he’s telling the truth - for once.
If you have the urge to play Stumbling Blocks, remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:6, But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
We give Stumbling Blocks an F- for sexual content, inappropriate content and potential violence. This is a form of spiritual Russian roulette played with 6 bullets.
We urge the saints NOT to play this game.
Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 1 John 2:10
Bryan Hupperts © 2009
SheepTrax™ features the wit, wisdom and deepthinking of Christian storyteller Bryan Hupperts. You may freely copy and forward this material provided it is not for resale or profit. All right reserved.
For radio interviews, speaking engagements, or learning about knowing Jesus, please write to: bhupperts@sheeptrax.com
Christian satire, Christian humor, religious humor, Christian comedy - call us what you will, we’re original.
SheepTrax Xpress: It’s not the News, It’s the Truth!
